• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Forcing Win7 to install programs on specific drive?

J

JayD12

Junior Member
Help? Not sure why or even if this is an option with Win7 Pro (64), but I would like to force all new program installs to a specific drive and or folder location. Is this possible? The system drive is limited in space (60g), and I do have additional drives formatted and available on the system, but I can't seem to find the answer.

Any Ideas?
 
I have programs installed on two drives other than the boot drive - one is external. There was no need to "force" Win 7 to do that - just a matter of choice during the install phase of the program. AFAIK, WIn 7 doesn't care.
 
Hasn't been an option on two of the three programs I've installed so far. ( No prompt for custom install) The folder two of these programs are writing to is the C:/Program_Files_(x86) folder, the other I was prompted for a specific location, of which I put on the D: drive (same title). Which makes me think in each case the programs are specifically looking for that location on available drives. If I can't force this somehow, here is my next question. What problems would I be inviting if prior to any install, if I rename the C: drive folder, which could possibly force the program to continue looking beyond that drive?? I wouldn't think is an issue, unless I didn't change the name back prior to shut down.
 
During the install phase, the display shows a default location. Right next to it is a button labeled BROWSE. Press it and change the location to anywhere you want. I just got through doing it. Don't look for "Custom Install." Use the BROWSE radio button.

In this respect, Win 7 is no different than XP or Vista.
 
OP didn't specify which software. Some automatically installs to a default location on your boot drive.
 
zagood said:
OP didn't specify which software. Some automatically installs to a default location on your boot drive.
Click to expand...
Agree! I find those to be exceptions rather than the rule. In some cases, that influences whether or not I install it at all, or use a competitor which goes where I want it to go. 🙂
 
the other way that it could be done other that what corkyg mentioned is to edit the registry and change the defaults there too

As always do this at your own risk, have a backup or system restore point before doing so. Also do not know if it will break anything else either


HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

would have to modify the ProgramFilesDir and ProgramFilesDir(X86) and ProgramW6432Dir to point to where you want it too
 
As I said, this wasn't an option on two of the three programs I installed, no choice, just put it on the boot drive. Haven't had time to look further into it, but Vista and Win 7 have an option to move folders to different locations, including other drives. Rt click the original folder location, select properties, and then from there select the move tab. I'm looking a little deeper into this to see if the reg entries follow the move. Hate to assume, never works out, and we talking about MS.

If not, maybe editing the registry is the only option.

Again, Thanks for the response.
 
JayD12 said:
As I said, this wasn't an option on two of the three programs I installed, no choice, just put it on the boot drive. Haven't had time to look further into it, but Vista and Win 7 have an option to move folders to different locations, including other drives. Rt click the original folder location, select properties, and then from there select the move tab. I'm looking a little deeper into this to see if the reg entries follow the move. Hate to assume, never works out, and we talking about MS.

If not, maybe editing the registry is the only option.

Again, Thanks for the response.
Click to expand...

Don't blame Microsoft for the lack of install options that were left out by the programmers of the application you're trying to install. Unless it's Office. Then you've got a complaint.
 
Actually windows is exceptionally responsive to separating components of the OS...you can change your appdata and other default user folders in the registry...some even have a location box in the properties box where you can edit the location without even using the regeditor. To fix the misbehaving/overbehaving application, you can't trick the application by changing the drive name..it will simply install to where it was targeting before you restart. I'd suggest...at great pains...you'll probably have to search out your application(s) in regedit and replace their target information with the new target or simply replace it with the global target...on a side note...I used to have this ridiculous problem with the vastly inferior itunes and chose to switch to Songbird because of this and a heap of other problems (ie: memory hogging) that I had with itunes...
 
Check out this link. It is very descriptive and the results work like a charm.
http://www.ghacks.net/2010/03/25/how...another-drive/

I do suggest that you copy the file path of your original program first, just to save a little time.
I did run into one problem with this method though. I moved the EVE program to my other drive, which worked well, until the EVE program tried to download an update. That didn't work, it continued to send the same update request. I guess, don't use it for active online programs that are frequently updated. For all other programs, it really does work well, and you don't need to touch the registry.
 
JayD12 said:
As I said, this wasn't an option on two of the three programs I installed.
Click to expand...

This is not a direct Windows issue it is the specific programmer decision to go this way.

Contact the support of these programs that might be able to help.


😎
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top